The Spanish War of Independence against France saw the birth of the current National Lottery. Ciriaco González Carvajal was at the time Minister of the Council and Chamber of the Indies and devised “a way to increase the income of the public Treasury without losing taxpayers.” The National Lottery was born. It also gave rise to what is now called the Christmas Lottery Grand Prize.
The minister presented a Lottery proposal to the General and Extraordinary Courts of Cadiz. It was based on the precedent in New Spain, Mexico since 1771, and whose creation was due to Carlos III. It received a favorable reception at the Cortes of Cadiz’s session of November 23rd 1811, and was passed without one vote.
To distinguish it from the Lottery Of Numbers or the “Primitive Lottery”, which was established in 1763 by the Minister for Finance of Carlos III, Marquise of Esquilache, this Lottery was referred to by the people as “Modern Lottery”. The draw for the new lottery was held in Cadiz on March 4, 1812, just fifteen days before our first Constitution was published.
The National Lottery was originally limited to Cadiz, San Fernando, but it was later expanded to Ceuta. Later, the Napoleonic armies withdrew their forces, so the sale was extended to Andalusia, and later to all of Spain.
The Modern Lottery’s last draw was in Cadiz on January 27, 1814. It moved its headquarters to Madrid on February 28, 1814. The Modern Lottery quickly became the preferred choice of the public, as compared to La Primitiva. This was evident in the sales figures. The Modern Lottery doubled La Primitiva’s income in the 1815-1817 period, and even more so in the two years that followed.
The Primitive Lottery was established in 1763. It coexisted until 1862 when it was abolished. It was reinstituted in 1985. There were 497 Lottery Authorities in Spain in 1817. Twenty-five of these were in Madrid, while five others were in Barcelona. All of them were managed by men except two in Murcia.
